That Bastard Johnny and his Brother

The thing about Jacks is that they are bastards. Complete and utter bastards. When you are playing heads-up they're your friends, but with 5 to 9 other people at the table they are out to fuck you. And not in a good way. That's the truth.

The statistics put a pocket pair of Jacks right on the wire. There's a 57% chance the the flop is going to give you an over card. Worse then that there's a 76% chance the board will give you an over card. Basically, this makes Jacks the highest of the low pocket pairs. The natural reaction to recieving ppJJ is to play them fast. Push in early in hopes of kicking everyone else out fast. The problem is any hangers on are going to have an over card or two. At that point it's a coin flip. Say your prayers, make your peace with the dark lord, and hope the flop gives the Ace to the guy with Big Slick right after you catch the set.

There's tons of advice out there on how to play them. Play them fast. Play them slow. Be aggressive. Be careful. It's all the same, really, when cards come with as many sob stories as instruction manuals. Every poker player I've ever met has got a tale of two Johnnies. A friend swears that J-Birds are his nemesis, yet he'll raise pre-flop every time he sees them. He hates them, but the temptation is just too great to pass up.

But, then again, isn't life just like that.